Collapsible tube



enemiga dan. aisee geen petasse cameraman 'rune William F. Schmalz, Rockville, Sonn., ancianos te @Cows Patent Fire Meridia/etabliert; En., Hartford, Genn., a corporation et A(Ccanectienit Application une 20, 11932.. Serial No. @lid s c. (ci. asia-eo) In the packaging and distribution of toilettesmetic, medicinal and other preparations which are put up in collapsible tubes, considerable difculty and large losses are incurred by reason of the loosening of the threaded caps which are supposed to keep the mouths of the tubes closed.

The caps are ordinarily assembled with the tubes before the tubes are lled, and the tubes are then filled through the ends opposite the caps, these ends being subsequently folded and crimped to eiect sealing. The tubes are dlied rapidly and in large quantities, ordinarily by means of automatic machines. If by reason of vibration or otherwise some of the caps have become loosened or detached prior to the lling operation, a loss of the material or preparation will occur by reason of the dischargethereoi through the mouths of the tubes during the process of lling. This involves not only thev loss of the said material or preparation, but also results in a defective package which has to be separated from the others and either thrown away. or handled separately.

It also frequently happens that loosening or detachment of the cap occurs subsequently to lillA ing, as for instance during handling and shipment. This results in a leakage of the contents which not only rendersythat particular package defective, but may also render defective all oi the packages in the box or carton in which they are shipped. Nearly all manufacturers ci? preparations put up in tubes suffer large inancial losses due to the return to them of packages that have become defective because of loosened caps.

, The principal object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible tube vpackage and an apparatus for making the same, which substantially, if not completely, eliminates the diculties and handicaps that have been heretofore experienced by reason of loosened and detached caps.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated'one form of collapsible tube incorporating the invention, and I have illustrated more or less diagrammatically an apparatus which may be used for making tubes embodying the invention. It will be understood, however, that the drawing is intended for illustrative purposes only and is not to be construed as dening or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a collapsible tube incorporating the invention.

Fig. 2 is a iragmcntary side view of the upr part of the tube shown in Fie. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the tube shown in Figs. l and 2 and also showing Va threaded cap in place on the tube. This view is taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. d.

llfig. i is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line ehu-e oi Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing some@ what diagraatically an apparatus for making the tube as shown in Figs. l to 4:.

' Fig'. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the line t-t oi Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. l and 2, of the drawing, l represents as an entirety a collapsible' tube embodying the invention. This tube is provided with a shoulder 2 and a neck 3, as is customary in tubes oi this general class. The tube is provided with an aperture or throat e by means of which the contents can 'be discharged in the usual way. The neck 3 is provided adjacent its outer end with screw threads as indicated at 5 and it is provided adjacent its inner or shoulder end with an unthreaded portion d, the diameter of this unthreaded portion being approximately the same as the outside diameter of the threads 5. In describing the portion 6 as being unthreaded 'll merely mean that the said threads 5 terminate above the said portion 6 and do not extend into it. Formed on the unthreaded portion 6 oi the neck are outward projections 7, 7 adapted to fric tionally engage an unthreaded cylindrical surface on a closure cap to resist rotative movement of the cap. The number of the said projections 7, 7 may be varied, but by way of illustration I have shown four such projections uniformly spaced.

In Figs. 3 and 4i I have shown the collapsible tube in section ona somewhat larger scale, and I have also shown a threaded closure cap 8. `l'he cap 8 is provided with threads adapted to engage the threads 5 on the neck of the tube, and it is also provided below the threads with aninternal cylindrical surface 9. TheA diameter of the surH face 9 bears such a relation to the projections 7, 7 on the tube that the said projections have :rm frictional engagement with the said surface when the cap is fully engaged with the tube as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably the projections 7, 'l are of such size that a circle through their outer edges would be of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the surface 9 on the cap. The result is that the cap has to be forced into position, the metal of the projections 7, 7 being slightly deformed by the cap. `This definitely assures a firm frictional engagement between the tional engagement serves to prevent any accidental rotative movement of the cap relatively to the tube such as might otherwise occur by reason of vibration and the like.

It-will be understood that with a tube incorporating the invention the cap is screwed into place in the usual way, the only difference being that more force must be 'applied by reason of the engagement of the projections 7, 7 with the surface 9, 9 of the cap. When the cap has been screwed into its final closed position the before-mentioned frictional engagement is such as to resist any ltendency toward unscrewing because of vibration and the like. The cap can be unscrewed only by the application of considerable force and this assures that the package with its contents shall reach the intimate consumer with the cap still in' its proper completely closed position. Even after the cap has been removed and replaced by the user it is still quite firmly held, and this feature is of considerable advantage to the user as it prevents any possible leakage of the contents of the tube even when packed in a suit case or otherwise for travelling.

Referring particularly to Figs. 5 and 6', 10 represents a female die member having a recess 11 therein shaped to determine the exterior contour of the desired tube. l2 represents the male die member which is shaped to determine the interior contour of the tube. The said die member 12 is adapted in accordance with usual practice to engage a metallic blank in the aperture of the female member and to press and extrude the metal of the said blank to form the desired tube. The tube as initially formed has a film of metal closing the throat 4,. and this may be removed in the usual way. The neck is threaded in accordance with usual practice.

In accordance with the invention the recess 11 in the female member 10 is provided with a plurality of vnotches 13, 13 which are so shaped and positioned as to form a plurality of outward projections 7, 7 on the neck 3 of the tube adjacent the shoulder 2 thereof. These projections are formed simultaneously with the other parts of the tube when pressure is applied by the die member 12.

It will be apparent that with the die member 10 formed as shown, the projections 7, 'l' o f the tube can be formed without any additional cost. It will also be apparent thatno additional cost projections and the said surface 9, and this mcis involved in adapting the cap 8 for use as a part of a package embodying the invention, as it is only necessary to provide the said cap with the aforesaid surface 9. I have therefore, without any additional cost, provided a collapsible tube package in which the cap is e'ectively held in place on the tube, thus eliminating the various difilculties and expenses that have heretofore been due to loosening of the caps.

What I claim is:

1.- A collapsible tube having the neck thereof exteriorly threaded adjacent its outer end and unthreaded adjacent its inner or shoulder end and having on the said unthreaded portion of the neck at least one outward projection adapted to engage an inner unthreaded cylindrical surface of a closure cap provided with threads engage- 'able with threads on the neck, the said projection thus serving to frictionally hold the cap and prevent accidental loosening thereof.

2. The combination of a. collapsible tube having the neck thereof exteriorly threaded adjacent its outer end ,and unthreaded adjacent its inner or shoulder end and having on the said unthreaded portion of the neck at least one outward projection, and a closure cap having internal threads adapted to engage the threads on the neck of the tube and having below the threads an internal cylindrical surface adapted to engage and be frictionally held by the said projection on the neck.

3. A collapsible tube having the neck thereof exteriorly threaded adjacent its outer end and unthreaded adjacent its inner or shoulder end and having on the said unthreaded portion of the neck a plurality of outward projections adapted to engage an inner unthreaded cylindrical surface of a closure cap provided with threads engageable with the threads on the neck, the said projections thus serving to frictionally hold the cap and prevent accidental loosening thereof.

4. The combination of a collapsible-tube having the neck thereof exteriorly threaded adjacent its outer end and unthreaded adjacent its inner or shoulder end and having on `the said unthreaded portion of the neck a plurality of outward projections, and a closure cap having internal threads adapted to engage the threads on the neck of the tube and having below the threads an internal cylindrical surface adapted to engage and be frictionally held by the said projections on the neck. 

